A large portion of present day Moldovan territory became a province of the Russian Empire in 1812 and then unified with Romania in 1918 in the aftermath of World War I. This territory was then incorporated into the Soviet Union at the close of World War II. Although Moldova has been independent from the Soviet Union since 1991, Russian forces have remained on Moldovan territory east of the Nistru River in the breakaway region of Transnistria.Years of Communist Party rule in Moldova from 2001-09 ultimately ended with election-related violent protests and a rerun of parliamentary elections in 2009. A series of pro-Europe ruling coalitions governed Moldova from 2010-19, but pro-Russia Igor DODON won the presidency in 2016 and his Socialist Party of the Republic of Moldova won a plurality in the legislative election in 2019. Pro-EU reformist candidate Maia SANDU defeated DODON in his reelection bid in November 2020 and the Party of Action and Solidarity, which SANDU founded in 2015, won a parliamentary majority in an early legislative election in July 2021. Prime Minister Natalia GAVRILITA and her cabinet took office in August 2021. In February 2023, Moldova’s parliament confirmed a new cabinet led by Prime Minister Dorin RECEAN, which retained the majority of the former ministers.
land: 32,891 sq km
water: 960 sq km
border countries (2): Romania 683 km; Ukraine 1202 km
lowest point: Dniester (Nistru) 2 m
mean elevation: 139 m
arable land: 55.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 9.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)
forest: 11.9% (2018 est.)
other: 13.2% (2018 est.)
3,250,532 (2023 est.)
noun: Moldovan(s)
adjective: Moldovan
Moldovan 75.1%, Romanian 7%, Ukrainian 6.6%, Gagauz 4.6%, Russian 4.1%, Bulgarian 1.9%, other 0.8% (2014 est.)
Moldovan/Romanian 80.2% (official) (56.7% identify their mother tongue as Moldovan, which is virtually the same as Romanian; 23.5% identify Romanian as their mother tongue), Russian 9.7%, Gagauz 4.2% (a Turkish language), Ukrainian 3.9%, Bulgarian 1.5%, Romani 0.3%, other 0.2% (2014 est.); note - data represent mother tongue; as of March 2023, Romanian replaced Moldovan as the name of Moldova’s official language
major-language sample(s):
Cartea informativa a lumii, sursa indispensabila pentru informatii de baza. (Moldovan/Romanian)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Orthodox 90.1%, other Christian 2.6%, other 0.1%, agnostic <0.1%, atheist 0.2%, unspecified 6.9% (2014 est.)
0-14 years: 18.01% (male 301,432/female 284,034)
15-64 years: 66.37% (male 1,087,397/female 1,069,902)
65 years and over: 15.62% (2023 est.) (male 203,889/female 303,878)
total dependency ratio: 39.6
youth dependency ratio: 29.7
elderly dependency ratio: 20.4
potential support ratio: 4.9 (2021 est.)
total: 39.4 years (2023 est.)
male: 38.1 years
female: 40.8 years
-0.58% (2023 est.)
8.6 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
14.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
pockets of agglomeration exist throughout the country, the largest being in the center of the country around the capital of Chisinau, followed by Tiraspol and Balti
urban population: 43.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
488,000 CHISINAU (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
25.2 years (2019 est.)
12 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 16.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.8 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 69.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 65.8 years
female: 73.9 years
1.25 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.6 (2023 est.)
56% (2020)
improved: urban: 98.9% of population
rural: 87% of population
total: 92.1% of population
unimproved: urban: 1.1% of population
rural: 13% of population
total: 7.9% of population (2020 est.)
6.8% of GDP (2020)
3.1 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
5.7 beds/1,000 population (2014)
improved: urban: 99% of population
rural: 83.1% of population
total: 89.9% of population
unimproved: urban: 1% of population
rural: 16.9% of population
total: 10.1% of population (2020 est.)
18.9% (2016)
total: 7.45 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.53 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 3.57 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 2.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0.1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 29% (2020 est.)
male: 51.7% (2020 est.)
female: 6.2% (2020 est.)
67% (2023 est.)
6.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.5% (2021)
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 15 years (2021)
heavy use of agricultural chemicals has contaminated soil and groundwater; extensive soil erosion and declining soil fertility from poor farming methods
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol
moderate winters, warm summers
agricultural land: 74.9% (2018 est.)
arable land: 55.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 9.1% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)
forest: 11.9% (2018 est.)
other: 13.2% (2018 est.)
urban population: 43.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.09% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
0.26% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 12.37 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 5.12 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 3.29 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 3,981,200 tons (2015 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 609,920 tons (2015 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 15.3% (2015 est.)
Dunărea (Danube) (shared with Germany [s], Austria, Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Romania [m]) - 2,888 km; Nistru (Dniester) (shared with Ukraine [s/m]) - 1,411 km note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)
municipal: 160 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 580 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
12.27 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
upper middle-income Eastern European economy; sustained growth reversed by COVID-19; significant remittances; Russian energy and regional dependence; agricultural exporter; declining workforce due to emigration and low fertility
$36.637 billion (2021 est.)
$32.153 billion (2020 est.)
$34.715 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
13.94% (2021 est.)
-7.38% (2020 est.)
3.68% (2019 est.)
$14,000 (2021 est.)
$12,200 (2020 est.)
$13,000 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$11.982 billion (2019 est.)
5.11% (2021 est.)
3.77% (2020 est.)
4.84% (2019 est.)
Moody’s rating: B3 (2010)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 17.7% (2017 est.)
industry: 20.3% (2017 est.)
services: 62% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 85.8% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 19% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 21.9% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1.4% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 42.5% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -70.7% (2017 est.)
maize, wheat, sunflower seeds, grapes, apples, sugar beets, milk, potatoes, barley, plums/sloes
sugar processing, vegetable oil, food processing, agricultural machinery; foundry equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines; hosiery, shoes, textiles
-0.67% (2021 est.)
810,000 (2021 est.)
3.96% (2021 est.)
3.82% (2020 est.)
5.1% (2019 est.)
total: 8.6% (2021 est.)
male: 5.3%
female: 14.7%
7.3% (2018 est.)
26 (2019 est.)
lowest 10%: 4.2%
highest 10%: 22.1% (2014 est.)
revenues: $3.582 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $3.754 billion (2019 est.)
note: National Public Budget
-0.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
33.01% of GDP (2020 est.)
24.95% of GDP (2019 est.)
27.02% of GDP (2018 est.)
17.41% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$1.699 billion (2021 est.)
-$886.899 million (2020 est.)
-$1.106 billion (2019 est.)
$4.197 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$3.222 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$3.662 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Romania 27%, Russia 9%, Italy 9%, Germany 9%, Turkey 6%, Poland 5% (2019)
insulated wiring, wheat, sunflower seeds, rolled iron, wine, corn, seats (2021)
$7.915 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.918 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$6.608 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Romania 20%, Russia 10%, Ukraine 9%, Germany 8%, China 7%, Turkey 6%, Italy 6% (2019)
refined petroleum, cars, insulated wiring, packaged medicines, broadcasting equipment (2019)
$3.902 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$3.784 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$3.06 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$7.232 billion (2019 est.)
$7.16 billion (2018 est.)
Moldovan lei (MDL) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
17.68 (2021 est.)
17.322 (2020 est.)
17.573 (2019 est.)
16.802 (2018 est.)
18.499 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 594,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 4.591 billion kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 629 million kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 571 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 93.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 1.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 4.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 133,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 133,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 22,000 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
232 bbl/day (2015 est.)
275 bbl/day (2015 est.)
18,160 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 57,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
consumption: 2.802 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 2.802 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
8.114 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 374,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 2.968 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 4.773 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
40.398 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 6 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 21
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 1,135,999 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 640,000 (2018) mt-km
ER
7 (2021)
5
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
2
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
2,026 km gas (2021) (2021)
total: 1,171 km (2014)
standard gauge: 14 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge
broad gauge: 1,157 km (2014) 1.520-m gauge
total: 9,352 km (2012)
paved: 8,835 km (2012)
unpaved: 517 km (2012)
558 km (2011) (in public use on Danube, Dniester and Prut Rivers)
total: 126 (2022)
by type: bulk carrier 5, container ship 2, general cargo 79, oil tanker 7, other 33
manyapis